HipHop culture education and information

The following are a series of posts to Twitter by producer/MC Q-Tip, offering perspective as to why HipHop culture stays on guard for inauthenticity. The posts, in all of their unedited glory are, together with typos, etc., eloquent and articulate.

[Q-Tip is a member of A Tribe Called Quest, Native Tongues and the Universal Zulu Nation as well as a solo artist and producer of other artists.]
HipHop is a artistic and socio-political movement/culture that sprang from the disparate ghettos of NY in the early 70’s

Coming off the heels of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT and approaching the end of the Vietnam war it was a crossroads 4 America

specially for blacks in the US our neighborhoods were PROLIFERATED w/a rush of HEROINE

our school systems here in NY dungeon traps with light for learning

blk men some of whom didn’t return from tours of duty n the ones who did came w/war baggage (agent orange, addiction, ect..)

these men had families but due to these events and throw into the mix the public emasculation…

they proved to be handicapped parents. The surrogate parents? The STREETS

the streets of gangs, crimes, and the hustlers coddled us and swept us up

Imagine a HipHop culture in which each active participant, successful in their own right, undenianly talented in the arts and/ or business of the culture taking a protégée; imagine the master and apprentice leading study and practice groupsamong the youngest in art-and-culture cwntered schhols founded by practicioners of the culture instead of just the university-approved pop culture professor and rap star guest lecturer.
Imagine organizations like the Universal Zulu Nation, Rock Steady Crew, Temple of HipHop at the forefront of this effort.

Vocalist/poet/educator/commentator; the Bay Area’s Epiphany Castro hosts a weekly 2 hour gab called Epiphany’s House I was her guest and we listened to great music and talked of our backgrounds in it; What mentoring means to me; lots lots more. Check her out every week on Blogtalk Radio, home of other great spoken word & performance poetry related shows.